and concluded that it was Isaiah who had believed it. On the back
was written in the tall, thin handwriting of the Miss Pockets, "To
our dear little pupil Rosalie, on her eighth birthday, from Agnes
and Lydia Pocket."

In the afternoon, the Miss Pockets called at the rectory and there
was evidently some high mystery about their visit. Rosalie was in
the study looking for a drawing pin wherewith to affix her illuminated
card to the wall. Hilda ran in. "The Miss Pockets. Where's father?
Come out," and Rosalie was hurriedly run out and shut into the
dining-room, leaving the vindication of Isaiah in the matter of
the report on the table. Opening the door to a chink, Rosalie saw
the Miss Pockets, shivering, the permanent decoration on the nose
of the elder Miss Pocket very conspicuous and agitatedly swinging,
ushered into the study, and presently her father follow his jutty
nose into the study after them, and very shortly after that the
Miss Pockets driven out as it were by the jutty nose and looking
thinner and colder than ever before. Miss Lydia Pocket, who had
lost the appendage to her nose and looked curiously undressed and
indelicate without it, was saying feebly, "But it was understood.
We always thought it was understood."

They shuddered away; and when Rosalie went into the study immediately
afterwards to recover her card, there was upon the word Isaiah, as
though somebody had literally thrown doubt upon his belief of the
report, a large damp spot.

On the following day, Rosalie began lessons with Hilda.